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Friday, 10 April 2015

Hydrogen – the Net-Negative Energy Option

The same people who promoted intermittent energy
(wind and solar) have trumped that with their latest green energy fad –
hydrogen fuel.

Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe; it fuels the sun and is
the third most common element on Earth. But it is so reactive that it is seldom
found in its elemental state - it combines strongly with other elements such as
oxygen to form water or with carbon to form methane. It is an essential
component in all acids, alkalis, hydro-carbons and organic materials.

To extract hydrogen from natural compounds such as water, methane or coal
requires very large inputs of energy. Most commonly hydrogen is produced from
methane gas using heat and steam, or by electrolysis of water using large
quantities of electricity.

Hydrogen can be used to power rockets, cars and engines of all types. However
the energy used to produce the hydrogen can never be fully recovered from the
energy in the hydrogen. It is thus NOT a source of energy – it is merely a
storehouse for energy - a battery.

It is possible to produce hydrogen from water using electricity from nuclear or
hydro-carbon fuels, or even intermittent green energy. The hydrogen gas could
then be transported to cities as a clean energy source for cars, thus reducing
pollution from petrol/diesel vehicles.

But hydrogen is a very dangerous gas. It has tiny lightweight molecules which
have low energy density and are difficult to compress, contain and store. It
also forms an explosive mixture with air. To provide a network of hydrogen
car-fuelling stations, or to suggest hydrogen as a domestic gas, is inviting
explosive disasters in the suburbs – (imagine the Health and Safety
regulations!)

Inviting
explosive disasters in the suburbs?https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=MMB2VR0087w
Even the impractical electric cars have benefits compared to the hydrogen car.
Electricity is safer and the supply network is easier and essentially in place.
Moreover, electric cars do not reduce the oxygen content of city air - every
tonne of hydrogen fuel consumes eight tonnes of oxygen to produce nine tonnes
of water vapour. So instead of urban smog, we may get urban fog.

And to suggest that hydrogen can provide base-load power tops all green energy
idiocy.